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AGU: Journal of Geophysical Research, Space Physics

 

Keywords

  • Mars
  • airglow and aurora
  • planetary atmosphere

Index Terms

  • Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Airglow and aurora
  • Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects: Mars
  • Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets: Atmospheres
  • Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets: Interactions with particles and fields
  • Planetary Sciences: Fluid Planets: Magnetospheres
Abstract
Cited By (6)
 

Abstract

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 113, A08311, 12 PP., 2008
doi:10.1029/2008JA013033

Observations of aurorae by SPICAM ultraviolet spectrograph on board Mars Express: Simultaneous ASPERA-3 and MARSIS measurements

F. Leblanc

Service d'Aéronomie, CNRS, IPSL, Verrières-le-Buisson, France

O. Witasse

Research and Scientific Support Department, ESA, ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands

J. Lilensten

Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble, Grenoble, France

R. A. Frahm

Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Ali Safaenili

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA

D. A. Brain

Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

J. Mouginot

Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble, Grenoble, France

H. Nilsson

Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

Y. Futaana

Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

J. Halekas

Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

M. Holmström

Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

J. L. Bertaux

Service d'Aéronomie, CNRS, IPSL, Verrières-le-Buisson, France

J. D. Winningham

Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA

W. Kofman

Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble, Grenoble, France

R. Lundin

Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden

We present a new set of observations of Martian aurorae obtained by Spectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars (SPICAM) on board Mars Express (MEX). Using nadir viewing, several auroral events have been identified on the Martian nightside, all near regions of crustal magnetic fields. For most of these events, two to three consecutive events with variable intensities and separated by a few seconds to several tens of seconds have been observed, whereas simultaneous observations with Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) and Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA-3) have been possible. In this paper, we present the data set for these events and discuss the possible correlation between the measured UV emission by SPICAM, the measured downward and/or upward flux of electrons by ASPERA-3 and the total electron content recorded by MARSIS. Despite the limited coverage of SPICAM ultraviolet spectrograph (UVS) on the Martian nightside (essentially in regions of high crustal magnetic fields), there is however a very good correlation between the regions with the locally smallest probability to be on closed crustal magnetic field lines, as derived from Mars Global Surveyor/Electron Reflectometer (MGS/MAG-ER), and the position of an aurora event. This suggests that the crustal magnetic fields, when organized into cusp-like structure, can trigger the few aurorae identified by SPICAM UVS. It confirms also the good probability, in the cases where SPICAM UVS measured UV emissions, that the increase in the measured total electron content by MARSIS and the simultaneous measured precipitating electron flux by the ASPERA-3/Electron Spectrometer may be related to each other.

Received 16 January 2008; accepted 4 June 2008; published 22 August 2008.

Citation: Leblanc, F., et al. (2008), Observations of aurorae by SPICAM ultraviolet spectrograph on board Mars Express: Simultaneous ASPERA-3 and MARSIS measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 113, A08311, doi:10.1029/2008JA013033.

Cited By

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